Process of manufacturing cylindrical phonograph records or blanks.



No. 771,880. PATENTED OCT. 11, 1904. v

W. H. MILLER & A. N. PIERMAN. PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING CYLINDRICAL PHONOGRAPH RECORDS I ()B. BLANKS I APPLICATION FILED OUT. 23. 1903. N0 MODEL.

I i H Ll l l I o m III I Witnesses Inventor; yaw a m M Attorney UNITED STATES Patented October 11, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER H. MILLER, OF ORANGE, AND ALEXANDER N. PIERMAN, OF

NEWARK, NEW

JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO NEW JERSEY PATENT OOM- PANY, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING CYLINDRICAL PHONOGRAPH RECORDS 0R BLANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,880, dated October 11, 1904.

Application filed 001201191 23, 19 03.

To all whom, it ntay concern:

useful Improvements in Processes of Making Cylindrical Phonograph Records or Blanks, of which the following is a description.

Our invention relates to an improved process for making cylindrical phonograph records or blanks, and particularly of the type described and claimed in our Patent N 0. 726,966, dated May 5, 1903, wherein a mass of fibrous material, such as cotton-wool, is distributed throughout a cylindrical record or blank, the wax-like substance impregnating the fibrous material, so as to produce a substantially indestructible article. In our Patent No. 726,965, dated May 5, 1903, we describe a process for making such articles consisting in first wrapping a sufiicient layer of the fibrous material around a core located within a suitable mold and then in permitting a molten wax-like material to enter the space between the core and the mold from below, so as to thoroughly impregnate the fibrous mass. We find from experiment that when the fibrous mass is sufiiciently thick as to loosely fill the space between the core and the mold or when the fibrous mass is relatively compressed, as when it is wound quite tightly around the core, the carrying out of the specific process of our prior patent under commercial conditions results in some cases in the trapping of air within the fibrous mass and the formation of air-bubbles on the surface of the resulting duplicate sound record or blank, so as to affect the commercial character of the latter. Consequently in the carrying out of the specific process of that patent under commercial conditions care would have to be observed not to have the fibrous mass too thick or too tightly wound on the core,

and as a result the records or blanks made thereby would contain an undesirably small proportion of the fibrous material and would not therefore be as relatively indestructible Serial No. 178,175. (No model.)

as records or blanks containing a larger proportion of the fibrous material.

The object of our present invention is to provide a process in which a larger proportion of fibrous material can be commercially used and in which the fibrous material can be more tightly wound on the core than with the process of our prior patent, whereby a superior quality of product can be obtained under commercial conditions.

To this end the invention consists in applying the fibrous mass to the core, then in permitting the fibrous mass to become thoroughly impregnatedwith the molten wax-like material while the latter is substantially free of the mold, so that the wax-like material instead of being confined to a very small path, as with our previous patent, can enter the fibrous mass throughout substantially its entire surface, and, finally, in bringing the mold into the proper relation to the fibrous mass to confine the proper quantity of wax-like material between the core and the mold as to result in the production of the desired article when the mold and core are removed from the molten wax-like material and the record or blank is allowed to set, after which it is separated from the core and then from the mold.

In order that our invention may be better understood, attention is directed to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification,and in which we show a sectional view of the tank containing the molten waxlike material and showing two molds, one in the position which it occupies when the fibrous mass is being impregnated by the wax-like material and the other in the position which it occupies after the fibrous mass has been impregnated and just before the mold and core are removed. v

The tank 1 is of any suitable character and size and is heated in any suitable wayas, for example, by a gas-burner 2. This tank contains a mass 3 of a suitable wax-like material in a molten condition. We preferably employ for this purpose the ordinary wax-like material of which modern duplicate phonograph-records are made; but any composition can be employed for the purpose so long as it is capable of being maintained in a molten condition and is substantially free of products of decomposition and presents a sufficiently hard and permanent record-surface on the finished product.

A base 4 carries a hollow core 5, the latter being preferably formed with a thread 6, so as to result in the formation of a spiral rib on the interior of the duplicate or blank, as Will be understood. A handle 7 may be connected with the core, so as to remove the same from the tank when desired. A cylindrical mold 8 is employed, the bore of which is perfectly smooth when blanks are to be made or which carries the negative representationof a sound-record when duplicate sound-records are to be produced. This mold may be provided with a handle 9 for operating it. A cap 10 is preferably removably carried by the mold to permit a surplus of the wax-like material to accumulate above the mold, so that When the blank or duplicate record is cooling and setting any diminution in bulk due to shrinkage will be compensated for by added material supplied from the surplus bulk within the cap, as will be understood.

In carrying our process into effect We prefer to proceed substantially as follows: A mass 11 of a suitable fibrous material, preferably cotton-wool, is applied to the core 6 and is preferably made thick enough to loosely fill the space between the core and the mold. The base 4, core 5, with layer of fibrous material, and mold 8, with cap'lO, are now assembled, as shown at the right of the drawing, and preferably heated in any suitable way to about the temperature of the molten material. This preliminary heating can be and in practice has been most effectively secured by immersing the assembled parts for several minutes in the molten material or in a separate tank containing similar material in a heated state. If a separate heating-bath is used, then after all the parts have been thoroughly heated to or substantially to the temperature of the material they are placed in the tank 1, after which the mold 8 and cap 10 are elevated to the position shown at the left, so as to directly expose the fibrous material to the molten mass. The latter, therefore, is free to enter the fibrous material, so as to impregnate the same, which it does in two or three seconds, and any air which may be contained within the fibrous mass will be permitted to escape to the surface. After the fibrous mass has been thus impregnated with the molten material the mold is moved to position over the core and is seated on the base 1, as shown at the right of the drawing, so as to retain the molten material between the core and the mold. The parts are now removed by elevating the handle 7, and after the wax-like material has set sufficiently, as by cooling-water applied to the outside of the mold and to the inside of the core, the latter is removed, after which the duplicate sound record or blank is shrunk diametrically by a reduction of temperature applied in any suitable way, preferably by a water-jacket, and is then withdrawn longitudinally. The article is now finished by properly trimming the edges and by reaming the bore, if necessary. It will of course be understood that suitable provision should be made for maintaining the level of the molten wax-like material in the tank 1 as material is removed therefrom at each operation.

\Vhile our improved process has been particularly designed for use in the manufacture of indestructible sound records or blanks of the type described, it will be understood that by omitting the application of the mass of fibrous material to the core the process can be carried out in the manufacture of ordinary sound records or blanks with the advantage of reducing the possibility of air-bubbles appearing on the surface of the latter.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new therein, and desire to secure by- Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A process of manufacturing sound records or blanks, which consists in introducing a core within a mass of molten wax-like material so as to surround the core, then in confining a portion of the Wax-like material between the core and a mold, then in removing the core and mold from the molten material and in permitting the confined mass to set, and in finally removing the core from the set material, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A process of manufacturing sound records or blanks, which consists in introducing a core within a mass of molten Wax-like material so as to surround the core, then in confining a portion of the wax-like material between the core and a mold, then in removing the core and mold from the molten material and in permitting the confined mass to set, then in removing the core from the set material. and in finally shrinking the resulting record or blank diametrically to clear the surfaces and removing it longitudinally from the mold, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A process of making indestructible records or blanks, which consists in applying a mass of fibrous material to a core, then in introducing the core and fibrous mass in a molten wax-like material which impregnates the mass, and finallyin introducing a mold into the molten material so as to surround the fibrous mass and confine a portion of the wax-like material between the core and the mold, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

IIO

4. A process of making indestructible records or blanks, which consists in applying a mass of fibrous material to a core, then in introducing the core and fibrous mass in a molten wax like material which impregnates the mass, then in introducing a mold into the molten material so as to surround the fibrous mass and confine a portion of the wax-like material between the core and the mold, and finally in removing the core and mold from the molten wax-like material and allowing the material between the core and the mold to set, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. A process of making indestructible records or blanks, which consists in applying a mass of fibrous material to a .core, then in introducing the core and fibrous mass in a molten wax-like material which impregnates the mass, then in introducing a mold into the molten material so as to surround the fibrous mass and confine a portion of the wax-like material between the core and the mold, then in removing the core and mold from the molten wax-like material and allowing the material between the core and the mold to set, and finally in removing the core from the set material, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. A process of making indestructible records or blanks, which consists in applying a mass of fibrous material to a core, then in introducing the core and fibrous mass in a molten wax-like material which impregnates the mass, then in introducing a mold into the molten material so as to surround the fibrous mass and confine a portion of the wax-like material between the core and the mold, then in removing the core and mold from the molten wax-like material and allowing the material between the core and the mold to set, then in removing the core from the set material, and finally in shrinking the resulting sound record or duplicate diametrically so as to clear the,

surface and withdrawing it longitudinally from the mold, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 22d day of October, 1903.

WALTER H. MILLER. ALEXANDER N. PIERMAN. Witnesses:

FRANK L. DYER, WILLIAM A. DOLAN. 

